223 - French School, c. 1745 Portrait of Marie-Thérèse, Dauphine of France Oil on canvas H. 81 cm - W. 65 cm

French School, c. 1745 Portrait of Marie-Thérèse, Dauphine of France Oil on canvas H. 81 cm - W. 65 cm Marie-Thérèse-Raphaëlle of Spain (1726–1746) was an Infanta, the daughter of King Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese. In 1745, she married the Dauphin Louis, son of Louis XV and heir to the French throne, in order to strengthen relations between the two monarchies. Her marriage symbolized the diplomatic rapprochement between France and Spain after several decades of rivalry. She died in 1746, at only 20 years old, shortly after giving birth to a daughter who did not survive. Her untimely death brought an end to a union that held great promise for Franco-Spanish alliances.